For the past centuries, women were only included in domestic labor. So, they couldn´t work in the mining industry. Miners had some “beliefs”, they said “women bring bad luck to the mine”; Fortunately, this changed, we can see women around the world working in different positions that involve mining tasks.
It has been a slow process, but thanks to open dialogue and interaction of genders now we find a balanced point towards a mining activity that does not discriminate against women, and this has increased gradually over the years.
Now it is considered that promoting the diversity of the workforce, in particular, by hiring more women in the mining sector, makes it possible to increase labor productivity as well as encourages innovation. Some mining companies maintain that “incorporating more women has competitive advantages, which can increase profitability; diverse teams achieve better results” (Expomin,2016)
In the last decade, we can see an exponential increase in female employment, especially in Latin America, with incorporation into mining operations and leadership activities. However, we still have limits, some people in hiring positions do not trust women, they consider us to lack commitment due to our responsibilities with our children and house chores, and state that the long mining hour schedules prevent compatibility between Us and efficiency. Fortunately, some companies adapt faster to changes and include women in a higher percentage, they recruit us for all stages from junior up to management. That is the case of Promine which is committed to gender equality, every woman who works in this company feels valued and respected. Talking on behalf of Promine Female Workers, and all the talented women that belong to the mining environment I can guarantee that we are committed and highly efficient in every duty that we carry out.
Without a doubt, we have achieved a lot, if we look back and observe everything that we have done, we should feel proud of each step achieved, there is still a long way to go so that the mining industry is transformed into a space of total equality, that promotes sustainability in all its dimensions, it’s a hard job but we are heading in the right direction.
References:
- Mujer en la minería. Consejo Minero. (2021, March 10). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://consejominero.cl/chile-pais-minero/aprende-de-mineria/mujer-en-la-mineria/
- Mujer y minería: Evolución en la última … – fch.cl. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://fch.cl/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/mujermineriaccm_02-09-2020.pdf
- McKinsey & Company. (2021, September 23). Why women are leaving the mining industry and what mining companies can do about it. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/metals-and-mining/our-insights/why-women-are-leaving-the-mining-industry-and-what-mining-companies-can-do-about-it
